Getting in touch with a new culture always puts pressure on yourself. Uncommon reactions and behaviour makes you reflect on your own frame of mind. In that way it can shake your own mindset upside down. Let me give a practical example. I have read a lot about the cultural redtape in India. In the magnificent book Maximum City from Seketu Mehta he explicitly describes India as the land of the NO. There is a local culture that inhibits that anything can be done but with perseverance a thousand NO’s ultimately change to YES. The key lies in the fact to keep asking.

I absorbed that observation. But I know, theory remains theory. However, today things got real. I had to call for a favour. There had already been some written discussion and things looked good. We had a phone call planned. With big expectations a dialed the number and the phone got picked up. I thought things were already somehow arranged but that was only my personal interpretation. I had to go to all the details again and had to convince the other party. I repeatedly ran into a big “NO, that’s not possible”. On that moment, the quote from the book appeared in my mind. I have got to hang on, I thought. I listened to the objections of the person and finally succeeded in getting some trust. I just kept asking gently and finally got to the grounds where I wanted to be. Afterwards both of us were really satisfied.

Bottom line: Hang in there and take the punches. Good things come to those who persevere.

When I was a kid I always felt somewhere in between. When I was playing in one playground I did not really fit in because I was to much like those other kids playing in another neighbourhood. Then when I went playing in the other playground with those other kids I did not really fit in neither. Yes, because I was too much like the ones I mentioned before. I had really good friends in all the playgrounds I went and every time I turned up we all enjoyed the time together. So that is not the issue. I think the interest to search for something unknown and new was there. Those days I really did not think about it but it appears to me that I wanted to share the best of several “worlds” to my friends.

I was a member of two different scouts groups at the same time. That too gave rise to a lot of questions why I was into that other group. I guess I just wanted to enjoy the different ambiance in the groups. I tried lots of different sports (I stuck with athletics forever though) because I liked learning the techniques and the different kinds of activities.

During my years at university I really enjoyed getting a scientific education but at the same time I went to language courses during the evenings. I thought there is more than just left brain or right brain (not or but and). I had the luck to have the opportunity to go to study abroad for a longer period. I guess that really triggered my further decisions to gain international contacts. I got active in an international student organisation and got to know great people from all over Europe.

During my first professional experience I had the opportunity to develop a team. I am really humble in saying that I was a full-time learning experience. The urge to interact with people from other departments and to help the organisation grow did stick with me. I was the lighting match of an initiative that looks to the future of youngster in the organisation and the future of the organisation itself. The will to do a project abroad lingered though. Finally I got the opportunity I had worked for so hard. I am able to go on a mission in India and Middle East for at least a year. A year of pure entrepreneurship and personal challenges. I can say I am up to it even though I know I will encounter some humps along the road.

That is why I feel so good today. Really! So forgive me that I overused the “I” word in this post.

Bottom line: Just go for it!